Alexander Gustafsson Returns to 205 Pounds Against Paul Craig on Sept. 4

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Neither retirement nor the heavyweight division has suited former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Alexander Gustafsson.

According to Swedish outlet Frontkick Online on Thursday, Gustafsson (18-7) will be dropping back down to light heavyweight to take on surging Scottish contender Paul Craig (15-4-1) at the UFC Fight Night event on Sept. 4. This event may take place in London, but the official destination is still undisclosed. The pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Gustafsson, who last competed in July 2020, shifted gears to the heavyweight division for a one-off appearance against ex-champ Fabricio Werdum. The Swede fell victim to an armbar at the midpoint of the opening frame to extend his losing streak to a career-worst three in a row. “The Mauler” fought for the UFC throne on three separate occasions, getting turned away by Jon Jones twice and Daniel Cormier once, although the first of those two outings were closely contested matches that were in contention for “Fight of the Year.” Gustafsson posts wins in his career over current champion Jan Blachowicz, upcoming challenger Glover Teixeira and ex-light heavyweight king Mauricio Rua.

Craig will come into this pairing on a five-fight unbeaten streak, with three consecutive stoppage victories on this current run. The man known as “Bearjew” posts a perfect 100 percent finish rate, with the only fight his career that reached the scorecards a draw with Rua in 2019. Craig went on to avenge that performance by forcing “Shogun” to tap to strike in late 2020. Most recently, Craig became the first man to defeat highly touted prospect Jamahal Hill, damaging Hill’s arm with an armbar and proceeding to get the late stoppage due to punches and elbows while holding triangle position.

The unnumbered UFC Fight Night event on Sept. 4 may or may not be held in London, and if that is the case, it may be headlined by a middleweight tilt between Derek Brunson and Darren Till. Conflicting reports place the Brunson-Till matchup in August or September, and the promotion nor the fighters or their camps have not clarified this yet. Other matches of note at this event include a light heavyweight clash between Khalil Rountree and Modestas Bukauskas, and a bantamweight battle between Nathaniel Wood and Jonathan Martinez.